SynopsisChou En-Lai, a small group of officials, and contingents of China’s military forces are on hand to greet the arrival of President Nixon, the First Lady, and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at an airfield outside Beijing. Elated, the President pauses to reflect on the historical significance of this encounter, which is being televised worldwide. He meets with Chairman Mao, who speaks largely in parables and veiled references. The President and Mrs. Nixon attend a banquet held in their honor; Premier Chou offers a toast to patriotic fraternity, the first of several throughout the evening. Mrs. Nixon tours a glass factory, a collective farm, and the Summer Palace. The Nixons attend an opera, The Red Detachment of Women, created by Mao’s wife, Chiang Ch’ing. The plight of the heroine, a downtrodden peasant girl, draws them into the action. Sensing that the Nixons have missed the ideological message of her opera, Chiang Ch’ing gives voice to her revolutionary fervor. During the last evening of the Presidential visit, the Nixons, Chairman Mao and Chiang Ch’ing, and Premier Chou reminisce privately about their lives.